Kitty
by amberissmiling
Summary: She's awful but Jake can't get her out of his head. When he finds out someone's hurting her, he'll do anything to make sure she's safe. Happens after auditions, mostly AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Kitty, wait," Jake called, following her down the hallway. "Look, I'm sorry."

"I don't want to talk about it," Kitty said, continuing to walk quickly out of the school and down the front steps of McKinley, wishing she'd parked closer.

"You can't just leave school," Jake was saying. "It's not that bad, okay?"

It was that bad. It was horrible. Patty Simcox? She couldn't be Patty Simcox. "Leave me alone," she said, reaching the sidewalk.

"Kitty," he said again, grabbing her arm. She stopped, jerking it away from him. "Sorry," he said, his hand still in the air. He never really knew what to do when he was around Kitty. "We can talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about," she said, looking out at the parking lot instead of at him. "It's over. I was stupid to even try out. It was obvious Marley was everyone's favorite from the beginning."

"That's not true," Jake said, sighing. "Maybe if you hadn't tried to attack her mid-song…"

Kitty turned to glare at him. "Maybe if you had looked at me even _once_ during the song, I wouldn't have wanted to attack her. You couldn't keep your eyes off of her, could you?" Jake started to say something and she shook her head. "It's pathetic."

Jake watched her walk off, upset that he'd hurt her and pissed off that she was always such a bitch.

"What's wrong with Kitty?" Brittany asked from behind him.

Jake shook his head. "What's always wrong with Kitty?"

"Well, I think her pony is too tight," Brittany told him. "I'm sure it causes headaches."

"Brittany…" he started, but stopped. He shook his head. "It's nothing."

"All I'm saying is that something has to be hurting her," Brittany told him as they walked back into the school. "No one acts like that unless there is. Maybe Sue's baby bit her when she was breast feeding it."

Jake didn't get a chance to reply to that before Brittany turned into the girl's room. He stared after her for a moment, at a complete loss.

"Hey," Marley said, smiling shyly as she stopped walking beside him.

"Hey," Jake said, smiling back. Why couldn't Kitty be more like Marley? Marley was nice to everyone, pretty, sweet and he knew what she was thinking.

"Did you get Kitty calmed down?" she asked.

"It's not my job to calm Kitty down," he said, more gruffly than he'd intended.

"Oh," Marley said, a little hurt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"No, it's okay," he said. "Congratulations on Sandy, by the way."

"Thanks," she said, blushing a little. "I'm sorry you didn't get Danny."

Jake shrugged. "It is what it is. I'm sure Ryder will do fine." Ryder. He didn't like Ryder.

Marley laughed a little, the sound causing him to smile as well. "You don't have to make that face when you're talking about him."

"What face?" he asked.

"You scrunch up your nose," she told him. "It's cute."

"Oh, so now you think I'm cute?" he flirted.

"I've always thought you were cute," Marley told him, blushing again.

"I've always thought you were pretty cute, too," he told her. It was true; he'd had a crush on Marley since he'd first talked to her. Flirting with her now, though, made him uneasy. Kitty had seemed so upset…shouldn't he be worried about her?

"So…you and Kitty really are broken up now?"

Jake looked back at the entrance to the school. "Yeah," he said, feeling a twinge of regret.

"You want to come eat lunch with me then?" Marley asked.

"Sure," he said, pushing his concerns away. He was going to eat lunch with Marley and enjoy himself.

Maybe.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

He couldn't get Kitty off his mind. The rest of his day had dragged on until it was finally time to leave. He'd come home and buried his head under his pillow, wanting to just go to sleep; if he was sleeping, he wouldn't be thinking of Kitty. Why was he thinking of her in the first place? He'd broken up with her. She was a bitch.

There's more to Kitty than that, and he knew it. They hadn't dated long, but while they had he'd seen something in her…something good. It was what pushed him to ask her out in the first place, and the more time they'd spent together the more he'd liked her. But Marley had been right; she was horrible to other people.

Why couldn't he just be happy that he was single and Marley was single and obviously wanted to date him? He liked her; he should be with her right now. But here he was, hiding in his room, thinking about Kitty Wilde. He wished someone was around to smack him.

He'd stood up without thinking, cursing himself even as he grabbed his jacket and keys and moved for the door. He knew where Kitty lived, even if she'd never let him come over. That had pissed him off, but he'd let it go. Being with Kitty was such a rollercoaster he didn't stay mad at her for long. He didn't stay happy with her for long either, though.

He was pissed at her right now, and it really wasn't even her fault. She'd told him to let it go and it was his fault he couldn't. He'd seen that flash of hurt in her eyes when she'd turned from the casting sheet and it was eating at him. It was her fault she hadn't gotten Sandy. It wasn't because she wasn't good enough; it was because she'd spent her audition time trying to attack Marley. He was pretty sure his attempts to spare Marley had cost him Danny, but he was over it. He hadn't really wanted to be in the musical anyway. He couldn't stand the idea of Ryder swooping in and stealing the show, but now that it had happened, he wasn't that upset about it.

He hopped on his bike and put his helmet on, mentally berating himself for caring. As he rode through Lima, he literally had to cross the tracks before getting to Kitty's neighborhood. Huge houses and fancy cars lined the roads here, and it was enough to make Jake's nerves stand on edge.

He should turn around. Turn around Jake, this is stupid. But he didn't. He stopped in front of the house Kitty lived in and took his helmet off, looking at it. It was huge, of course. Jake shook his head as he walked to the red front door. His entire house would fit in the front yard.

He knocked on the door, part of him hoping she wouldn't open it and the other part needing to see her. He'd almost given up when it opened, Kitty standing inside the house and staring at him in shock. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, looking behind him and paling further when she saw his bike parked on the road.

"I came to talk to you," he told her. He'd never seen her hair down and couldn't stop staring at it. It was longer than he'd assumed and made her look like an angel.

"Jake, you can't be here," she said, frantically pushing him away. "You have to go."

That wasn't very angel-like. Jake didn't move, frowning down at her. "What are you freaking out for?" He'd never seen Kitty show so much emotion and he'd _dated_ her.

"Jake, go. You have to go," she said, still pushing against him. A white Lexus SUV pulled into the driveway and he watched as Kitty's expression turned from panic to outright horror. "Oh God," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his heart pounding.

"Katherine," the tall blonde woman who got out of the vehicle said. "What is this?"

Jake supposed that "this" was him as the woman eyed him, her lip curled in disgust. "This is Jake," Kitty told the woman, her voice shaking a little. "He came over to remind me of a project we're supposed to be working on," she said.

"Yeah," Jake said, looking from Kitty to the woman. "It's important."

"It must be," the woman said. "Kitty, I need to speak with you in the house." She looked at Jake. "You don't mind waiting for a moment, do you?"

"No ma'am," Jake said, hating this woman already. She was obviously Kitty's mother; they had the same facial features.

As she pushed Kitty into the house, Jake caught Kitty's eyes, hoping she saw the apology in his. The door slammed shut and he flinched, wondering what he'd done. He heard muffled yelling coming from deep inside the house and strained to make out the words. Shit. This was his fault.

He'd been concentrating so hard on hearing what was going on inside the house that he hadn't noticed the truck pull up. "Can I help you?" a man asked him, coming up the sidewalk.

"No, sir," Jake said. "I'm just waiting." The man was a giant; Jake wasn't short, but this dude made him look like a midget.

"Waiting for what?" the man looked around the house. "Did you mow the yard?"

Jake bristled a bit, but shook his head. "No sir. I'm waiting for Kitty."

The man stared at Jake for another moment. "Excuse me," he said, pushing past Jake and going into the house. As the door opened, Jake heard the shrill voice of the woman. He had a really bad feeling. After the man's voice joined the others, he started walking backwards. He'd left his phone on his bike and he definitely needed some backup if that dude came back outside.

When he reached his bike he heard the front door open and Kitty flew out of it, running towards him. "Let's go!" she cried, jumping on the back of his bike. Jake stood there, looking at her, uncertain. When the man came out of the house yelling he jumped on the bike and started it, taking off as the man reached the road. He felt Kitty wrap her arms around him as they rode, putting her face against his back. Even though they were probably going to be shot at any minute, he couldn't help but notice that it felt nice.

He just kept going, through Lima, out of town, down some more back roads. He had no idea where they were going, but he was almost afraid to stop. When they finally reached a dead end, he parked, turning the bike off. Kitty didn't let go of him and his hand moved over hers, squeezing them. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly after a few moments had passed.

She moved, unwrapping her arms and getting off the back of the bike. He got off slowly, turning to look at her. She was trying to straighten her clothes, looking down. Her hair was a wild mess, and for some reason that made him smile.

"Hey," he said, his fingers cupping her chin and tilting her face up. "Kitty, are you okay?" She nodded, but he moved her chin to the side, spotting the handprint on her cheek. "Who hit you?" he asked lowly, losing his smile.

"It's nothing," she said, trying to knock his hand away.

"Who hit you?" he asked again, his face lowering to hers. "Was it your mom?" When she still didn't answer, his stomach tightened. "Your dad?"

"He's not my dad," she told him. "He's my stepfather."

"He hit you?" Jake asked, the rage he felt making him sick.

"It's nothing," she said, this time able to push his hand away. "Why were you at my house?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you," he told her. "How often does he hit you, Kitty?"

"It's not a big deal," she said again, glaring at him.

God she was infuriating. He'd never met anyone in his life that could make his blood boil with one look the way she did. "It's a big deal to me," he told her. "Is it a lot?" He moved closer to her, thinking about Brittany's words earlier. Something _was _hurting Kitty. "If it's a lot, Kitty, I'll kill him."

"Jake, would you listen to yourself? What are you going to do, stare broodily at him until he apologizes?"

If he hadn't noticed that her hands were shaking, he would have gotten mad. But they were. He took her hands in his, holding them to his chest. "You can't go back there if he's hurting you," he told her quietly. "I won't let you."

"I live there," Kitty said miserably. "It's my home."

Jake shook his head. "That's not your home. That's just the place you sleep. A home isn't some place where people hurt you…it's a place you're safe. A place you're loved."

Kitty made a noise, looking up at him. She had tears in her eyes again, and they hurt him. "Where am I going to find a place that I'm loved?" she asked him. "You know me. You know how awful I am. No one loves me. No one."

He brushed her hair out of her face, shaking his head. "Even at your worst, I couldn't stop thinking about you," he told her. "No matter what you say or what you do, you're on my mind. I care about you, Kitty. Let me help you."

"What can I do?" she asked. "I don't know what to do."

Jake thought about it. His mom would be at work right now, so they couldn't ask her. "What about that Finn guy?"

"What about him?" Kitty asked, making a face.

"Kitty, cool it with the faces, okay?" He sighed. "He's good friends with my brother. Puck said Finn's a great guy. Maybe he'll know what we should do."

"We?"

Jake moved closer and looked down at her. "I'm with you, okay? You're not alone." The tears that had been threatening slipped down her face and he pulled her close.

Holding Kitty, he was able to let go of all the anger and frustration he'd carried all day. Maybe he was angry and frustrated because he'd given up the right to hold her like this. That was something he needed to think about.


	2. Chapter 2

Jake made a face as he waited for his brother to answer his phone. He would have never called Puck for help if there was something wrong with him. But this was for Kitty, and talking to his brother didn't seem like a big deal when her safety was the issue.

"Go for Puck," Puck said.

"Really? "Go for Puck?"" Jake asked, already annoyed.

"Who is this?" Puck said.

"It's Jake."

They were both silent for a moment. "Did you knock someone up?"

Jake snorted, looking back at Kitty sitting on his bike. "Why would I call you if I knocked someone up?"

"Fine, smartass, how about you tell me why you _did_ call me."

"I need Finn's number," Jake told him.

"What for?"

"I just need his help with something."

"With what?" Puck asked, persistent.

Jake sighed. "It's not for me," he said. "Look, I can find it some other way if you don't want to give it to me."

"Calm down, kid, I'll give it to you." Jake heard him hit some buttons and received a message on his phone. "Don't say I never gave you anything," Puck said.

"More than our dad did, anyway," Jake said, checking the number. "Thanks."

"Hey," Puck said as Jake was getting ready to hang up. "You need anything, you call me, okay?"

"Yeah," Jake told him. "Thanks." They both knew he wouldn't call.

He dialed Finn's number and waited for Finn to answer, wondering exactly what he should say. "Hello?"

"Hey, Finn Hudson? This is Jake Puckerman. From Glee Club?"

"I know who you are," Finn said, sounding confused. "What's up?"

"It's sort of…complicated," Jake told him, rubbing the back of his head. "Is there any way we could see you? We'll meet you somewhere in town or at your house or wherever…"

"Who's "we?"" Finn asked, still confused.

"Me and Kitty."

"Kitty? Patty Simcox Kitty?" Finn asked. "She's not going to try to kill me or anything is she?"

Jake smiled a little. "No, nothing like that. There's…a problem. We just really need some advice."

"Is she pregnant?" Finn asked, sounding completely horrified. "If she's pregnant, Jake, I'm not sure how much help I could be…"

Jake sighed again. "She's not pregnant," he told the older boy. "Look, can you meet with us?"

"Sure," Finn told him. "My mom and Burt are in Washington so you can just come here." He gave Jake the address.

"Thanks, man, see you soon," Jake told him, hanging up.

"What did he say?" Kitty asked as he walked back to the bike. She'd been trying to straighten her hair out, but eventually just gave up. Nothing created a tangled mess quite like riding a motorcycle.

"He said we should go to his house. His parents aren't home right now." Why couldn't he ever think straight when he was around her? She looked so young and sad…and beautiful. She looked beautiful.

"He still lives with his parents? _That's_ not weird at all," Kitty said, sighing. "Why don't people who graduate ever seem to leave?"

"Come on, Kitty, he's going to help us." She nodded and he pulled the extra helmet off the back of the bike. "You need to wear this. I didn't get a chance to give it to you before we left earlier."

"Thanks," she said. He got on the bike and she waited for a moment, watching him.

"What?" he asked, getting his helmet ready to put on.

Kitty moved toward him, kissing his cheek. "Really, Jake. Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said, grinning under the helmet as he slid it on. Yeah, he was an idiot…but he must be doing something right, right?

As they rode back through Lima, Jake kept his eye out for the cops. Kitty's step dad seemed like the kind of guy who would call the police over a stray cat; he was sure the man had called when Kitty left with Jake.

They made it to Finn's house without incident and Jake breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled into the driveway. Finn was standing at the door, watching them as they walked up. He eyed Kitty wearily. "Don't look at me like that," she snapped. "I'm still mad at you."

Finn looked at Jake, narrowing his eyes. "She's just had a bad day," Jake told him.

When they went into the living room, Kitty checked out the furnishings. "Finn Hudson, you have the taste of a fifty year old woman." She looked at him and grinned. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You still live with your mommy."

Finn opened his mouth to say something but Jake cut in, taking Kitty's arm and leading her to the couch. "Here Kitty, why don't you sit." He leaned close to her, whispering, "Behave," under his breath. Kitty shrugged as he stood up and looked at Finn, smiling sheepishly. "A really bad day."

"Look, why don't you just tell me what's going on?"

"You're an adult…sort of," he finished as Kitty snorted. "Kitty!" he said, frustrated. "Please?"

Kitty held up her hands innocently. Jake sighed and closed his eyes, hoping that he would at least be able to tell Finn what the problem was before Kitty got them kicked out. "Kitty is having problems at home."

"What kind of problems?" Finn asked, sitting down. He looked over at Kitty, but she was staring at the wall, her face flushed.

"I don't want her to go back there," Jake told him.

"She's only a kid…she can't leave," Finn told him.

"Well, thanks for the help," Kitty said, standing up. "Can we go now Jake?"

"Her step dad is abusive," Jake told Finn. "He hits her." When he said this, Kitty ducked her head, taking a deep breath.

Finn frowned. "Really?"

Kitty didn't say anything, crossing her arms and looking down. Jake was still telling Finn about the step dad, but Finn wasn't paying attention to him. He was watching Kitty. "Hey, Jake, can I talk to Kitty for a minute? You can go to the kitchen, get something to drink."

Jake looked at Kitty, confused. "Why?"

"Just for a minute," Finn said. He looked at Jake and realized that they boy had no intention of leaving them. "She's safe," he said softly. "I just want to talk to her."

Jake looked back at Kitty and nodded. "I'll be back in a minute," he said, leaving the room.

"Kitty," Finn said, standing back up and walking toward her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she said, shaking her head.

"Will you look at me?" he asked gently.

Kitty looked at him, and then quickly turned her head away. "Can you help me?" she asked.

"Kitty," he said again. "Look at me. Please."

Kitty sighed and looked at him again. "What?"

"You can tell me," he told her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If I'm going to help you, you have to tell me everything."

"Jake told you," she said.

"There's nothing more?"

"What are you talking about?"

Finn remained silent for a moment, watching her. "If that's what you want," he said, moving back.

Kitty reached for him. "No, wait. You have to help me," she said desperately. "I can't go back there. Not now."

"What happened?"

Kitty took a deep breath, trying not to cry. "My mom came home and saw Jake. She freaked out. What if Bob found out? What if Bob came home and saw him? What would happen then?"

"Bob is your step dad?" Finn asked.

Kitty nodded. "And while she was screaming hypotheticals at me, Bob came home."

"Why would Jake being there upset Bob?"

Kitty swallowed, shaking her head. "It just would."

"Kitty…does Bob ever…"

"Don't, okay? Just don't say it," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Finn wrapped his arms around the girl, holding her when the tears spilled over and she began to cry. He wasn't sure how he'd known there was more to the abuse than Jake had told him, but he'd wanted to be wrong.

"Don't say anything to Jake, okay? Please don't," Kitty pleaded, trying to wipe her face.

"I won't," Finn assured her, holding her tightly. "I'm going to see what I can do, okay? We're going to get you out of there."

Kitty nodded, trying to hold back more tears. Jake came back into the room and stopped, looking at them. "Kitty?"

"It's okay," she said, wiping her face and pulling away from Finn. "He's going to help me."

"Thanks, man," Jake said, walking up to Finn and holding his hand out. When Finn took it, Jake hugged him. He's never intentionally hugged another man in his life, but he was so relieved that Finn would be helping them he had to.

"You two can stay here or go down to the basement; I have all my gaming stuff set up down there. I'm going to make a couple of phone calls and then I'll be down, okay?"

They watched as he walked away, each hoping that whoever he was calling knew what to do. "Let's go downstairs," Jake said, holding his hand out to Kitty.

She followed him down and sat on a couch, watching him check out Finn's drum kit. "This is a really nice set," he told her. She nodded in agreement but her thoughts were with Finn. She had no idea how he could possibly help her, but for the first time she felt like there might be hope.

"Sing me a song?" she asked him, motioning to the guitar sitting in the corner. "It feels like it's been forever since you have."

Jake nodded, picking up the guitar. "I bet this is my brothers," he said.

"Why do you say that?"

Jake shrugged. "I don't know." He strummed the guitar, adjusting some of the strings.

"It's a little bit funny," he sang quietly, "this feeling inside. I'm not one of those who can easily hide. I don't have much money, but boy if I did, I'd buy a big house where we both could live." He looked at her and smiled as he sang and she felt her heart melt a little. She could almost forget that he'd broken up with her. Almost.

"If I was a sculptor," he continued, "but then again no…Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show. I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do. My gift is my song and this one's for you. And you can tell everybody this is your song. It may be quite simple but, now that it's done. I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind…that I wrote down in words…how wonderful life is now you're in the world." He stopped playing, setting the guitar aside.

"That was beautiful, Jake. Thank you."

"Kitty, I'm sorry I hurt you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I shouldn't have broken up with you, and I shouldn't have done it in front of Marley."

Kitty shrugged. "You like her."

"I like _you_," he told her.

Kitty shook her head. "I appreciate everything you're doing for me, but I don't think now is a good time for us to discuss our relationship," she said. "Or lack of one."

Jake frowned. "Kitty…"

"I don't have any real friends, Jake," she told him sadly. "I never really have." She looked up at him. "Do you want to be my first?"

Jake nodded, his heart breaking just looking at her. "Of course I'll be your friend."

Kitty smiled. "Thank you," she said, standing and hugging him.

Jake didn't know what was going to happen in the future, or even what was going to happen in the next hour. He knew, though, that he was going to be there for Kitty.

He knew, too, that he loved her. He guessed he always had.


	3. Chapter 3

Finn had talked to his parents and they were on their way home. He'd offered to let Kitty stay the night with him, though Kitty had protested. If the police showed up, couldn't Finn get in trouble? He'd brushed her concerns away, telling her that keeping her safe was the most important thing. Kitty had left early this morning, leaving a note on his kitchen table telling him that she'd shower and change at school; thank goodness Coach Sue made them keep an extra uniform in their lockers in case of emergency.

"Hey," Jake said, finding her in the hallway after she'd gotten ready. "I've been looking for you."

"Hey," Kitty said, smiling. "What did your mom say?"

Jake had called Finn's house last night to let them know that the police had been there when he'd gotten home. He'd told them that he'd been out riding around and had no idea what Kitty's parents were talking about. Since they had no proof, there was nothing they could do. His mom had known better, though.

"She understands," Jake told her. "She's worried, but she gets it. When are Finn's parents getting in?"

"Some time today. I guess his stepdad knows Bob," she told him as they walked down the hallway.

"Really? How?"

Kitty shrugged. "Bob runs the bank here. He knows everyone."

"But Finn's stepdad said he'll help you, right?"

She nodded. "That's what Finn said."

The hallway started filling up with students; it was almost time for the bell to ring. "I have to get to class, but if you need me at all today, come find me."

Kitty nodded again, watching him walk off. She sighed, pulling her eyes away. She was _not_ going to sit around and stare dreamy eyed at a boy. Especially Jake Puckerman.

"Hey Kitty," Finn said from the other end of the hallway.

"Hey," Kitty said, waiting for him to catch up to her. "Did you get my note?"

Finn nodded. "My parents will be here after school. Do you want to try to go see them before rehearsal?"

Kitty made a face. "Rehearsal?"

"Grease," Finn said. "You know, the rehearsal."

"Why would you think I'm going to rehearsal?" Kitty asked him.

"Because you tried out for the musical and got the part of Patty Simcox," Finn said slowly.

"I can't be Patty Simcox," Kitty said, shrugging.

"Patty Simcox is an important role."

Kitty snorted. "Keep telling yourself that," she said, rolling her eyes. "There are only two female roles that count in Grease; Sandy and Rizzo. You gave Sandy to the sweet girl that has no personality and Rizzo to the she male just because she/he wanted it."

"You tried to start a brawl in the middle of your audition," Finn said, sighing.

"Hey, I know two things; cheerleading and fighting."

"You know more than two things, Kitty," Finn told her. "You're really good. You dance as well as Brittany, which is remarkable. Your voice is strong and pretty. If you would join Glee Club…"

"I would be committing social suicide and would lose my status as head bitch on top of the horrific yet stable home life I have." She looked at Finn. "I know you love Glee. I know it changed your life. But I've got enough changes going on right now without it, okay? One thing at a time."

Finn nodded. "Okay, one thing. The musical. Patty Simcox. You can own that role."

"I could own that role in my sleep. My dead aunt could own that role."

"Kitty…"

"I'll think about it, okay?" She stopped walking, turning to look at him. "I've got a lot going on right now."

Finn smiled crookedly, giving in. For now. "Try not to crush anyone's soul today, okay?"

Kitty smiled. "I'm not making any promises."

He turned into the Glee room and she walked around the corner, right into Bob.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE 

"Hey," Marley said to Jake. "Do you want to sit by me?"

"Sure," Jake said, sliding into the seat beside her. He smiled at her, but his mind was on Kitty. He wanted to be there when she talked to Finn's parents, but he was certain she wouldn't want him to be. He realized Marley had been talking to him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I was asking if you were coming to rehearsals today. I know you didn't get Danny, but Putzie's important too," she said with a smile.

The rehearsals were the last thing on his mind. "Yeah, I'll probably be there." He watched as Brittany and another Cheerio came into the room, sitting beside him. He didn't know Brittany that well, but he liked her.

"Hey," she told him lowly. "I found out why Kitty's the way she is."

Jake tensed. "Oh yeah?" he said, looking at her. It wasn't possible, was it? He knew Finn didn't tell her…how could she know?

Brittany nodded. "She lives with an angry giant."

Jake looked at her, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"My guess is that Kitty is a princess, but she can't tell anyone because the angry giant won't let her," Brittany told him. "And that's why she's always so mad."

"Brittany, are you talking about her stepdad?"

Brittany shrugged. "If that's what you want to call him. I doubt that he's her stepdad, though."

"Why would you say that?" Jake wanted to shake her. Sometimes having a conversation with her was as hard as reading Chinese, and he didn't know Chinese.

"Because dads are supposed to be nice."

"Okay…" Jake said, shaking his head. "What makes you think he's an angry giant?"

"His face was bright red and Kitty looked sort of scared when they were talking."

Jake sat up straight. "Wait, you mean you saw them talking this morning?"

Brittany nodded. "Yeah, they were walking out of the school. Kitty shouldn't leave again…she can't keep missing practice." Jake was up and out the door before she finished her sentence. "Rude," Brittany said, watching him go.

Jake ran through the hall, slipping a little at a corner. He ran to the side doors and out of them, looking around the parking lot for Kitty. It wasn't hard to spot Bob; he was easily 6'8. Kitty was walking beside him, her head down as Bob talked to her.

"Hey!" Jake yelled, running down the steps and toward them. "Stop!"

Bob put his arm around Kitty's shoulders, holding her close to him as he turned around and narrowed his eyes at Jake. "You," he said when Jake reached them. "I'll have the police here in five minutes."

"You're not taking her," Jake told him, breathing hard. "Kitty, come on. Let's go back in the school." The tears on her pale face prompted him to move closer, holding out his hand. "Come on."

"Know your place, boy," Bob said, slapping Jake's hand away. "This is my stepdaughter. I've been worried sick about her and I'm taking her home."

"You're not taking her," Jake said again, looking at Kitty.

"Jake," Kitty said, her voice breaking. "You'll get in trouble."

Jake shook his head, glaring at Bob. "Let go of her now."

Bob laughed darkly, seemingly amused at Jakes bravado. He turned, pulling Kitty with him. Jake reached out and grabbed the arm around her, pulling it free. "Run Kitty."

"Jake," Kitty said, looking up at Bob. "Just let it go."

"Run Kitty," Jake said, not taking his eyes off the older man. "Get someone."

Kitty turned and ran toward the school as Jake continued to stare at the man. "You'll never touch her again."

"I think you're confused," Bob told him. "I'm her guardian. You're the guy that kidnapped her yesterday."

"I know what you do," Jake told him, looking at the man. "You'll never hurt her again."

"Kitty loves what I do," Bob told him, grinning.

Jake ran at him, grabbing him around the waist. The man didn't go down, of course, pulling Jake off of him and throwing him on the ground. "You're causing me problems," Bob said, kicking Jake in the side and smiling at the boy's cry of pain.

Jake stood up, bending at the waist, holding his side. "You're not taking Kitty," he said hoarsely. "Not now. Not ever again." He ran at the man again, Bob punching him when he got close enough. Jake went down on one knee, shaking his head. He couldn't pass out.

"What the fuck is this?" a man said behind them.

Bob turned around, surprised to see someone else in the parking lot. "This punk attacked me twice," he told the newcomer.

"Yeah? Well this punk is my little brother," Puck said, charging Bob and knocking him down.

Bob, caught off guard, didn't move as Puck punched him twice. Finally feeling the pain of the blows, he grabbed Puck, rolling over on top of him and landing a few punches of his own. Jake jumped onto his back, trying to help his brother.

When Finn, Will and Kitty ran back into the parking lot they saw the Puckerman brothers fighting a very angry giant.

"Hey!" Will said, trying to pull Bob back.

Finn grabbed Puck, putting himself between his friend and the older man.

"Jake!" Kitty yelled. "Jake, stop!"

After the scuffle was stopped, the men stared at each other. Jake turned to Kitty, leaning down and looking into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Kitty nodded, wiping some dirt off his face, checking the rest of him for injuries. "Are _you_ okay?" Jake nodded, pulling her close and hugging her.

Will looked at Puck. "Get them back into the school, okay?" Puck nodded, nudging Jake and Kitty and walking them back toward the school. Will then looked at Finn and Bob. "What is going on here?" he asked, completely bewildered.

"I'm Bob Forrest," Bob said. "Kitty is my stepdaughter. She disappeared yesterday, riding off with that kid. I came to school today to make sure she was okay and to take her home to talk with her. We've been worried to death. That punk came out and attacked me, and then his brother attacked me."

Finn looked at Will. "It's not that simple, Mr. Schue," Finn told him. "Bob is abusive, and Jake doesn't want Kitty to be around him."

"That's a lie!" Bob yelled, his face red. "You better watch what you're saying, kid. I'm a leader in this town."

"You might be a leader in this town," Finn said, looking at him with disgust, "but I know the truth about what you really are."

"Okay, okay," Will said, touching Finn's arm. "We should go into the office and talk with Figgins."

"I think I'm going to wait right here for the police," Bob told them, shaking off some dirt from his jeans.

"Do you really want to call the police?" Finn asked him. "You should think long and hard about that." He looked at Will. "I think we should wait here for social services," he told the man, looking back at Bob and glaring. "I'm sure they'd love to hear all about it."

Bob blanched. "Falsely reporting abuse is a crime."

"Good thing I wouldn't be falsely reporting anything," Finn told him.

"You can't prove anything."

"I don't have to," Finn told him. "Kitty would talk to them."

Bob snorted. "Like they'd believe anything Kitty said."

"I believed her," Finn told him. "And my stepdad believes me."

"Like I give a shit," Bob said.

"You should. He's a United States Senator."

Bob paled, blinking rapidly. "Burt Hummel?"

Finn nodded. "He's on his way home now. I called him last night."

Bob backed up a few steps. "This is all just a misunderstanding," he said. "Burt and I are friends. He'll believe me."

Finn shrugged. "I guess we'll see."


	4. Chapter 4

"Really?" Puck said, looking at Jake. "The head cheerleader?"

"What are you talking about?" Jake asked him, straining his neck to try to see what was going on in Figgins office. Kitty, Mr. Schue, Finn, Bob and Finn's parents were in there. Jake couldn't stand Kitty being in the same room with Bob without him there to protect her. He didn't want Bob to look at her. He didn't want Bob to talk to her. He didn't want Bob breathing the same air as her.

"Kitty loves what I do," Bob had said outside, and the words had struck Jake in the chest. He had been shying away from the thoughts that sentence had caused, because those thoughts would make him crazy.

"I'm talking about the hilarity of another Puckerman getting suckered by the queen bee of the Cheerios. Did you learn nothing from my tales of woe?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Kitty isn't like Quinn," he told his brother. "Nothing like her."

"Sure she's not," Puck said.

Jake glared at his brother. "She's not."

Puck shrugged. "Fine, then she's not."

"What are you doing here?" Jake asked him.

"I was on my way right after you called me. When Finn called me last night and told me what was up, I was glad I'd already decided to come."

"Finn called you?"

"Yeah, he thought you might need your big brother."

Jake nodded. "Looks like he was right. I was getting my ass kicked. Thanks…you know, for being here. For helping me out."

"Hey man, fighting is what I do best. Well…second best," Puck finished with a grin.

"Gross," Jake said, once again trying to see what was going on in the office.

"So what's the deal with you and little Kitty Cat?"

"Why do I always want to punch you?"

"Because dumbass little brothers are always jealous of their studly and much smarter older brothers?"

"Yeah, that's it," Jake said, shaking his head and laughing a little.

"Are you hurt?" Puck asked him. "There's no one around but me, so you don't have to pretend to be tough."

Jake shook his head, but then sighed. "My ribs hurt a little more than I said," he admitted.

"Yeah, that fucker has a size 16 shoe at least," Puck said, grimacing and rubbing his thigh. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I don't think so," Jake told him. Even if he did, he wouldn't until he knew what was going on with Kitty.

"What's your mom going to say about all this?" Puck asked him.

Jake sighed. "She asked me to stay out of it," he told his brother. "She doesn't understand. Kitty…" He shook his head, unable to say what he was thinking.

"She's important to you," Puck finished for him.

"Yeah," Jake said. "She is. I didn't even realize how important until I screwed everything up."

"What do you mean?"

"I broke up with her," Jake said, sighing. "It was stupid."

"You must have had a reason."

"She's just…she can be so…" Jake winced. "She can be awful."

Puck nodded slowly. "All women can be."

"She's so mean…she can be. I've seen a different side of her, but I don't think anyone else ever has."

"According to Finn, she'd had it pretty rough."

Jake nodded. "But no one knows that."

"You know it. And even before you knew it, you saw something in her, right?"

"Yeah," Jake said. "I did."

"So she's special."

"She is."

"Then that's all you need to know. Maybe if you love her…she'll stop all that craziness." Puck grew silent, thinking about Quinn. She's been mean. She'd been awful. Jake didn't see what Puck could because he hadn't been there. All Quinn had needed was someone to love her. Kitty needed the same.

"She says that we can be friends," Jake told him. "She doesn't want to talk about a relationship right now." He frowned, looking down. "I really messed that up. And I knew I had as soon as the words left my mouth."

"She's right about needing time. This is a big deal. Just be there for her, you know?"

"I will be," Jake told him.

"You were today," Puck said. "I'm only going to say this once and then we'll both pretend it never happened. I'm proud of you. You were a man today."

Jake smiled a little. "Thank you."

Puck watched Jake for a minute, thinking. "Sing to her," he said.

Jake looked up. "What?"

"Sing to her in Glee. Trust me, it drives the girls wild."

"Speaking from personal experience?"

Puck grinned. "Of course. I'm going to see Bieste," he said, standing up. "Find me when you're done. I'll have you signed up for the team by then."

"I'm not playing football," Jake said.

"Don't want to break a nail?" Ryder asked from behind them.

Puck rolled his eyes and walked down the hallway, leaving the two boys alone. "No," Jake told the other boy. "I have better things to do with my time."

"Like community service?" Ryder asked, grinning.

"Fuck off," Jake told him.

"Ooh, testy," Ryder said. "I need to see Figgins. What's going on in there?"

"He's busy," Jake told him. "Come back later."

Ryder leaned over and looked into the office. "Is that Kitty?"

"I said come back later," Jake told him, standing up and blocking his view.

Ryder stood on his toes. "That is Kitty. Looks like Finn…Mr. Schue…who's the giant?"

"I'm going to say this one more time," Jake said, clenching his fists. "Come back later. Leave Kitty alone."

"I thought you dumped her," Ryder said. "For Marley. I hope you know that's not going to happen, by the way. Marley deserves better."

"Fine," Jake told him. "Go be better."

Ryder frowned. "No comeback? No witty repartee? What's wrong with you?"

"Look dude, I've had a really bad day."

"Yeah, you look like someone kicked your ass," Ryder said, for the first time noticing Jake's swollen lip and dirty clothes. "Did Kitty do it?"

Jake pushed him. "Get the fuck out of here," he said.

"Hey man, screw you," Ryder said, pushing him back.

"Both of you follow me, now," Finn said, coming out of the office and grabbing their arms.

"What's going on?" Jake asked him. "What are they saying?"

Finn looked at him sharply, then at Ryder. "We'll talk later," he said. He'd seen the boys shove each other from the office and decided he was needed out here more than he was in the office. It was a strain not to lunge for Bob and choke the man, so getting out of there had been a relief. He just wished he could have taken Kitty with him.

They ended up in the Glee room and Finn told them to sit. "You two are going to be friends," he said. Jake scoffed and Ryder rolled his eyes. "No, I'm serious. You're going to be friends. Call me psychic."

"That's not what I'd call you," Jake said.

Finn narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Shut up." He walked to the door. "I'm going. You two sit in here until you're friends. I mean it."

After he left, Ryder laughed. "He's crazy."

Jake sighed. "Dude, I have things to do, okay? I can't be sitting in this room all day."

They were silent for a few minutes. "Why don't we like each other again?" Ryder asked, looking over at him.

Jake shrugged. "I don't really remember," he said. "We just never have."

"You like Marley," Ryder said. "I like Marley."

"I like her…" Jake said. "I thought that I wanted to date her."

"You thought?"

"I shouldn't have broken up with Kitty," Jake told him. He shook his head. "I care about her."

"So…you don't like Marley?"

"What's not to like? She's pretty, she's sweet, and she has a good heart…"

"Yeah, I've noticed all those things," Ryder said.

Jake shrugged. "Those things appeal to me. But Kitty…I don't know, man. It's just Kitty."

"You're crazy," Ryder said, laughing. "Kitty will eat you alive."

"Probably," Jake said, smiling. "But I like that."

Ryder crossed his arms. "We're going to be in Glee Club together, right?" he said. Jake nodded. "Maybe Finn's right. Maybe we will be friends."

"Maybe," Jake told him. "You'll have to stop being such a dick."

"Yeah, I'm the dick," Ryder said. "You've made fun of me my whole life." Any time Ryder was called on to read in class, Jake's friends made a big deal out of it. They always had.

"I don't make fun of you, okay? The people I hang out with do."

"Same thing," Ryder said, sitting up straighter.

"Look, I'm sorry," Jake told him. "They're jerks. They do jerky things."

"I can read," Ryder told him. "Just not well." He made a face. "I study so hard…but it never seems to help me."

"Have you talked to anyone about it?"

Ryder shook his head. "It's embarrassing."

"Maybe someone could help you, though."

"Maybe," Ryder said. "I'll think about it."

"Think we can count this as us being friends?" Jake asked, anxious to get back to the office.

"I'd say so," Ryder said, standing up. "At least we're not trying to kill each other."

"Jake," Kitty said from the doorway.

"Kitty," Jake said, rushing towards her. "Are you okay? What did they say?"

Kitty shook her head, moving into his arms. Ryder nodded at Jake, leaving the room and pulling the door closed. "I'm going to stay with the Hummel's for a while," she told him. "They've discussed it with Bob and he finally relented. Burt told him that he could either let me go willingly or he'd make sure everyone in town knew what kind of a man Bob was. He'd lose his job, his friends, his family…he'd go to jail. Bob gave in."

"Thank God," Jake said, holding her tightly. "How long are you going to stay with the Hummel's?"

"I'm not sure," she said, pulling away. "I'm going to my house right now to get my things. Want to come help?"

"Yes," he said. "Bob won't be there will he?"

She shook her head. "No, he's not allowed. My mother will be there, though." Kitty was almost sick at the thought. She didn't want to see her mother; she knew it would be awful. "Carol's taking us, so we need to go now."

"I'm ready," he told her.

"You'll be missing class…"

"Like I care," he said, opening the door.

"Thank you for today, Jake," she told him. "You saved me. Again."

"I'll always save you," he promised her. "Always."

"I'm not yours to save," she reminded him.

"You're mine," he told her, looking into her eyes. "You'll give in eventually."

"Maybe," she said, smiling softly.

He held her hand as they walked out of the room, thinking that there was no maybe to it.


	5. Chapter 5

Kitty clung to the little bit of normal the musical and Glee Club afforded her. She really couldn't stand Marley; just looking at the other girl made her sick to her stomach. Marley was so sweet. Marley was so nice. Marley was so pitiful. Let's all help Marley out, because she constantly needs saving. Kitty wanted to scream, it was so unfair. Since when was being weak a virtue? When had being strong become such a sin?

She knew she was a bitch. She knew she hurt people and pushed them away. She wasn't proud of the part of her that needed to hurt others so she wasn't alone with the pain. But why should she be the only one hurting?

"Hey," Ryder said cautiously, coming out of the auditorium. He stayed away from her most of the time, which was probably a good idea. She wasn't nice on her best days, and the last week had been anything but her best days.

"Lynn," Kitty said, making a move to walk past him.

"Kitty," he said, stopping her. She turned around and looked at him, arching an eyebrow. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I don't know what's going on with you. I mean, I've heard some stuff…"

Of course he had. She was sure that by now everyone had heard "some stuff." She still managed to walk down the hallways with her head held high, ignoring the whispers and stares. "What do you want?" she asked him, somewhat coldly.

He flinched. "I just wanted to let you know that you can talk to me…if you need to."

"Why would you ever think I'd need to talk to you?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes. "You don't like me, not even a little. Why don't you go on to the choir room and stare dreamily at Dumptruck's daughter and leave me alone?"

"Come on, Kitty, don't be like this," Ryder said. "I see you freezing Jake out…he's going crazy. You're here, but anyone can see that you're somewhere else too."

"I'm sure Marley can help Jake keep his mind off of any trouble he's having," Kitty said stiffly.

"Jake isn't into Marley," Ryder told her.

Kitty wanted so much to believe that was true. She wasn't stupid, though. Fool me once and all that. "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree."

Ryder shook his head, unsure what to say. He never really knew what to say to Kitty, actually. She scared him a little. "At least talk to Jake, okay? Please? I know you don't owe me anything, but he's my friend and it's hurting me to see him hurting like he is."

Kitty shrugged. "I'll talk to him," she told Ryder as she walked off. She'd wanted to talk to Jake anyway; she'd meant it when she'd said that she wanted to be friends. She cared about him so much, and she knew she needed him in her life. She'd thought that having him as a friend would be better than not having him at all.

But she couldn't be around him without wanting to be with him. And she couldn't be with him…not now. Not ever. It wasn't just because he broke up with her and she thought he had feelings for Marley. She didn't know if she would ever be able to believe that he really cared about her…or if he just felt sorry for her. Who wants to date the man they're in love with because he feels sorry for her?

How does she say that, though? What does she tell him? She hadn't been able to figure it out, so she'd just avoided him completely. It killed her.

Last night she'd been sobbing in her new room at the Hudson-Hummel home and Sam- of all people- came in and held her, rocking her while she cried. She had fallen asleep and he'd left, pulling the blanket over her. They hadn't talked about it, but Kitty had been grateful for his support. She'd always been mean to him, and she'd been worried about sharing a home with him, but he'd been really good to her. Better than she deserved.

"Hey," Unique/Wade/whatever said to her, walking down the hall beside her. "Heading to Glee?"

Kitty nodded. She wasn't sure why Wade had decided to befriend her, and she never responded to the boy in any way that would make him think his efforts were working. He kept walking with her, though; kept talking to her, telling her about his day or his new wig or a new song he'd heard. Kitty wanted to cry and tell him how much all of that meant to her, but she was physically unable to. She'd opened her mouth so many times to comment on something he'd said, but nothing came out.

She braced herself before walking into the choir room, knowing Jake would already be in there. She hadn't known he'd be sitting with Marley, laughing about something she'd said. The sight almost dropped her to her knees, but she only paused for the briefest of moments, continuing on to her seat. She couldn't do this. She was going to cry. Oh my gosh, she was turning into Marley. The idea made her stomach lurch. Wade continued to talk beside her and Kitty wondered for a moment if she was having a nightmare.

"Okay," Finn said, coming into the choir room. "Musical rehearsals are going great, yada yada, Mr. Schue left yesterday, we're all freaking out…but we've got this. I've got this, okay?"

He didn't look like he had it. He was sweating and Kitty felt so bad for him. Finn had been like a guardian angel. His own heart was breaking over that Rachel chick, but he'd been there for Kitty at every turn. She would have never expected it. Again, it was much more than she deserved.

"Today…uh," Finn said stuttered, continuing. "Today we're going to do…"

"Yesterday Mr. Schue said that this week's assignment was to sing a song that describes ourselves or our desires right now, to help us find our voice," Kitty said, nodding at him. "You said you were going to tell us a story about you doing this assignment in the past."

Finn grinned at her. "Yes, thank you, Kitty," he said, taking a breath. "I remember now." He visibly relaxed, telling them the story of "Jessie's Girl," and his attempts to woo a young Rachel Berry away from her asshole boyfriend. Kitty was definitely "team Finn." If this Rachel wanted to give him up, she was an idiot.

"Weren't you nervous?" Sugar asked him when he was finished, romanced by the story.

"I thought I would be, but when it came time to sing, it just came out. It was something that needed to be said, something that had to be done." Finn grinned. "And that's what you've all been asked to do." He sat on the edge of the piano. "Who wants to go first?"

As no surprise to anyone, Blaine did. His song was depressing and slow and Kitty zoned out before it even began. She knew he was hurting, but his crying all the time was making them all suffer. Why couldn't he just cry in his room like decent folk? No one should have to see this.

Wade went next, singing a pretty song that Kitty hadn't ever heard before. She admired his strength and wished she had some of it. After he sang, Sugar sang (horribly) a song about being more than a rich girl. Kitty rolled her eyes. Okay, then.

She was ready to go when Jake stood up. Her eyes flew to him, widening. Oh God. Oh God, if he sang a love song to Marley she wouldn't be able to take it. She would be sick. She would cry. Her breathing became labored and tears sprang to her eyes. Please, her eyes begged him. Please don't do this. She looked at Finn, certain her panic was clearly visible and he'd stop this. Finn wouldn't look at her, though. That bastard. She'd thought he had her back.

She could leave. She should leave.

"I have something that I need to say to someone who's very important to me. I've been trying to find the words and they just wouldn't come. So this assignment gave me the opportunity to sing what I haven't been able to say."

Kitty closed her eyes, moaning quietly. She couldn't look. "Kitty," Wade said beside her, nudging her. Kitty opened her eyes to find Jake in front of her, watching her. What was he doing?

Brad, the piano guy, started the music as Jake kept his eyes on her and started to sing. "Much as you blame yourself you can't be blamed for the way that you feel," he sang to her. "Had no example of a love that was even remotely real. How can you understand something that you have never had? Ooh, baby, if you let me I can help you with all of that."

Brittany, Blaine and Ryder moved behind him as the music picked up, dancing with him. "Girl let me love you, and I will love you, until you learn, to love yourself. Girl let me love you, and all your trouble, don't be afraid, girl I can help. Girl let me love you, and I will love you, until you learn to love yourself. Girl let me love you, a heart in numbness will come to life, I'll take you there."

Kitty watched, her mouth open as they danced and he sang. He was singing to her…in front of everyone. In front of MARLEY.

He knelt in front of her, taking her hand. "I can see the pain behind your eyes; it's been there for quite a while. I just want to be the one to remind you what it is to smile, yeah. I would like to show you what true love can really do." He stood, backing up. "Girl let me love you, and I will love you, until you learn to love yourself. Girl let me love you, and all your trouble, don't be afraid, girl I can help. Girl let me love you, and I will love you, until you learn, to love yourself. Let me love you, a heart in numbness will come to life, I'll take you there…" He was beautiful. Most people didn't realize how amazingly he moved; he was a classically trained dancer and every move was so perfect it made her die a little.

They finished the rest of the song, Jake stopping in front of her, breathing hard. "I love you, Kitty," he told her. "I want to be with you."

Kitty knew that the other members of the Glee Club were looking at her, waiting for her response.

She stood, running from the room, then leaving the school.

A/N

watch?v=crrOl0egI00 (The song that you all must love.)


	6. Chapter 6

It had been two days and he still hadn't seen Kitty. He couldn't believe things had gone so wrong. His friends were doing everything they could to take his mind off of it, off of HER, but it wasn't working. He was miserable.

Puck had helped more than anything. His brother had been with him every day since coming home, and even if they were just hanging out working on his bike or Puck's car, it was nice. Puck seemed to get what Jake was going through without Jake having to say a word- something Jake was incredibly grateful for.

He liked Puck. It had surprised the hell out of him, but it was true. Not only was his brother willing to drop his life in LA to come back to Lima and help the little brother he didn't even really know, the dude was just cool. He had a story for everything, a joke for everything, and he could play a mean guitar. At night they'd sit out in Jake's garage, playing and singing until Jake had to go in.

Puck had talked to him about Quinn, telling Jake that she would probably always be the love of his life, but that sometimes things didn't work the way we wanted. Jake wasn't sure if Puck had really been talking about him and Quinn, or if he was actually talking about Jake and Kitty. He hadn't said much about Kitty, but Puck seemed to know enough.

He missed her. She hadn't been at school, and all Finn would tell him was that she was okay. It drove Jake crazy to know that Kitty was with Finn and Sam every day but couldn't even bear to look at him. He knew he'd pushed too hard too fast, but everything in his body had screamed that he had to try to make her understand how he felt about her. He took a chance and it had backfired horribly.

He couldn't even look at Sam. If Sam and Kitty fought, if they got along, even if they were only in the same house together, it was more than Jake had. Sam knew more about what was going on in Kitty's life now than Jake did and it bothered him. Where they'd been friends before, now their relationship was awkward and strained. Sam had tried to talk to him, but Jake had created a lame excuse to get away from him, and Sam had known what he was doing. He hadn't tried to talk to Jake since.

Today's Glee Club was wrapping up and Jake wanted nothing more than to go home and lie down. It had been a bad day, and he was exhausted from trying to pretend that he was fine. It's not like anyone believed it, anyway. They all knew how messed up he was.

"We've got one more song," Finn told the class, looking out the door.

Jake rolled his eyes. He really didn't think he could take another song. Music for Kelly Clarkson's "Dark Side" started and Jake frowned. Who was singing? No one stood up, but Finn opened the door.

Kitty came in, singing the beginning of the song. She didn't look at him; she didn't look at anyone. She kept her head down as she moved into the room, looking paler than she should have. "There's a place that I know; it's not pretty there and few have ever gone." She looked up, right at him. "If I show it to you now, will it make you run away? Or will you stay, even if it hurts? Even if I try to push you out, will you return? And remind me who I really am…please remind me who I really am." She looked close to tears, but her voice was clear and beautiful and Jake wanted to jump up and hug her. He couldn't move, though. He could only sit and watch her. "Everybody's got a dark side. Do you love me? Can you love mine? Nobody's picture perfect, but we're worth it; you know that we're worth it…Will you love me? Even with my dark side?"

The rest of the class looked between the two of them as she sang, wondering what would happen. No one but Jake, Sam and Finn knew what was really going on with Kitty, but they all knew something had gone down and that Jake was a part of it. It was like watching a soap opera, only it was real and they actually knew the people involved.

"Like a diamond from black dust, it's hard to know what we can become if you give up. So don't give up on me, please remind me who I really am." She shook her head, keeping her eyes on his. "Don't run away, don't run away; just tell me you will stay. Promise me you will stay. Will you love me? Even with my dark side?"

Jake didn't wait for the song to end, no longer able to take seeing her standing alone like she was, vulnerable and hurting. He reached her, pulling her close and taking her face in his hands. "Yes," he told her, looking into her eyes. He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. The rest of the club was clapping and shouting, but Jake barely heard them. That happened when Kitty was in his arms.


End file.
